After Liu Bei proclaimed himself King Jing of Zhongshan, why did no one question it or verify it?

Mondo History Updated on 2024-02-16

After Liu Bei proclaimed himself King Jing of Zhongshan, why did no one question it or verify it?

As far as Liu Bei is concerned, in addition to benevolence, righteousness and shame, his most famous symbol is undoubtedly that"Uncle Huang"This special status. According to the "Chronicles of the Three Kingdoms", Liu Bei was the son of Emperor Jing of the Han Dynasty and a descendant of Liu Sheng, King Jing of Zhongshan. However, due to the long time gap between Liu Bei and Liu Sheng, and the fact that Liu Sheng, the king of Zhongshan, had more than 120 sons (Book of Han), Liu Bei's lineage is no longer clear. So why no one doubts him"Uncle Huang"What about identity? And why didn't anyone check it?

From Liu Sheng, King Jing of Zhongshan to Liu Bei, it is difficult to find evidence to prove it.

Although the "Chronicles of the Three Kingdoms-Shu Book" clearly recorded"The ancestor Liu Bei's surname is Bei, his name is Bei, his name is Xuande, he is a native of Zhuo County, and he is a descendant of Liu Sheng, the king of Zhongshan Jing, the son of Emperor Jing of the Han Dynasty", but Liu Bei is known as Liu Hong's son Liu. However, this identity is in fact difficult to verify, because Liu Sheng, the king of Zhongshan, had a very distant relationship with Liu Hong.

Liu Sheng, King Jing of Zhongshan, was the eighth son of Emperor Jing of the Western Han Dynasty. Liu Sheng, King Jing of Zhongshan, had more than 120 sons, of which the fifth son, Liu Zhen, was the Marquis of Lucheng Ting, the fief of the Marquis of Lucheng (now Zhuo County, Hebei Province), and his descendants formed a branch of King Jing of Zhongshan, namely the Liu clan of Zhuo County, which was founded around 127 BC. The Liu clan of Zhuojun was founded around 127 BC.

Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty adopted Jia Yi's suggestion and implemented it"Grace"In the fifth year of the Yuan Dynasty (112 B.C.), the titles of 106 princes were abolished under the pretext that the quality of the gold offered by the princes was poor or the quantity was insufficient to meet the requirements of the imperial throne"Win the knighthood with gold"。Liu Zhen, the Marquis of Lucheng Pavilion, is the so-called in history"Slash"He was dismissed and demoted to a concubine.

Therefore, there is no record of this lineage from Liu Zhen onwards, so there is no clear information about whether Liu Bei's father, Liu Hong, was a descendant of Liu Sheng, the king of Zhongshan. While most contemporary Liu genealogies fill this gap, their accounts are contradictory and inaccurate.

Among the various versions currently in circulation, one of the most widely circulated is the statement in Liu Shaoqing's "New Revision of the Liu Clan Genealogy", that is, Liu Bei is a descendant of Liu Sheng, the king of Zhongshan, and is ranked the seventeenth: Liu Sheng, Liu Zhen, Liu Ang, Liu Lu, Liu Lian, Liu Ying, Liu Jian, Liu Xiang, Liu Shu, Liu Yi, Liu Bei, Liu Budo, Liu Hui, Liu Xiong, Liu Hong, Liu Bei. However, there are loopholes in this statement, because Liu Xie, the emperor of Han Xian, is the thirteenth grandson of Liu Fa, the king of Changsha, and if there is a seventeen generations difference between Liu Sheng and Liu Bei, it is impossible for Liu Xie to call Liu Bei"Uncle Huang"。Of course, outside of "Romance of the Three Kingdoms", Liu Bei was not officially mentioned"Uncle Huang"identity, only said that he is a member of the Han family.

However, due to the distance between Liu Sheng, the king of Zhongshan, and Liu Bei, and the fact that they were in the middle of a new dynasty, and because there are many gaps in the historical record, it is actually very difficult, if not impossible, to prove this.

Liu Xie and Liu Bei need this kind of relationship, and others don't have to deal with this relationship.

In the chaotic situation at the end of the Eastern Han Dynasty, it can be said that all those in power are for their own interests, and naturally no one doubts Liu Bei's identity, let alone any evidence.

1, Liu Bei needs this identity. Among the heroes of the world at the end of the Han Dynasty, although Liu Bei had a late start and a low starting point, his ambition was not inferior. Therefore, whether it is seeking development in troubled times or striving for the future of the world, Liu Bei obviously needs the identity of the Han clan more in addition to benevolence and righteousness, because only in this way can he be more cohesive and not be carried away by competition with others. You know, from the time of Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty'Abolish a hundred schools of thought, and respect Confucianism'Since, under the influence of the concept of divine authority of the monarch, compared with the end of the later dynasties at that time, the Han royal family still has a certain charm, otherwise Cao Cao'It is impossible to ask the Son of Heaven to order the princes'...

2.Liu Xie needs this attitude. At the end of the Eastern Han Dynasty, although Liu Xie became the emperor, his status was not high. From Dong Zhuo to Li Quan, from Guo Yan to Cao Cao, he has always been a puppet at the mercy of others. Of course, Liu Xie is not willing to be a puppet, otherwise there would be none"Well-dressed"。However, Liu Xie is Cao Cao's subordinate, and it is unlikely that he wants to break Cao Cao's control by himself, and he urgently needs strong foreign aid to help him get out of his predicament. At present, Liu Bei's strength is not too strong, but Liu Xie does not have too many choices, of course he is happy to accept such a cheap one"Bole", and there is no need to accept such"Bole"。Its.

3.Other forces were indifferent. For Cao Cao, the Han family is currently more or less in Cao Cao's hands, but for the Han family, Cao Cao does not have much influence, after all, the current number of Han family relatives is enough, not to mention that even if Liu Bei has the identity of the Han family, he has to obey the holy decree of the Son of Heaven. As for the other monarchs, they are only busy expanding their own power, and they obviously don't attach so much importance to Liu Bei's Han clan identity, after all, the first batch of heroes are all Han clan relatives, maybe there are more than Liu Bei, and one more Han clan relative to fight Cao, they are happy to see it, of course, they don't bother to run to verify.

As mentioned earlier, Liu Bei's"Uncle Huang"Identity is extremely difficult to prove, and he can neither directly prove his royal identity nor find direct evidence to refute it. Moreover, in addition to their own interests, the authorities in the late Eastern Han Dynasty would not bother to suspect and look around for evidence.

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